The Lantern Festival was celebrated in grand style on Feb 19 in Laixi, a county-level city in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province.

A total of 31 performing teams from the city's 12 counties involving nearly 1,000 performers, all consisting of local residents, participated the festive parade starting from the People's Square to Shanghai West Road.

A dazzling display of folk arts such as lion and dragon dances, yangko performances (a popular rural folk dance), and waist drum shows were staged to spread festival greetings, attracting crowds of spectators.

The celebration was also part of the city's annual arts festival, during which more than 20 activities will be held such as an opera competition for theatregoers, square dance and yangko contests and art performances.

Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month as a continuation of celebrating the Spring Festival. It falls on Feb 19 this year.

A Lantern Festival parade is hosted on Feb 19 in Laixi, a county-level city in Qingdao to spread the festival greetings and entertain local residents. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Performers, all consisting of local residents, brave the freezing weather and stage jubilant yangko performance during the parade to celebrate Lantern Festival on Feb 19 in Laixi city of Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

A performer dressed up as the Monkey King (or Sun Wukong, the hero of one of the most famous Chinese novels, Journey to the West) interacts with spectators during the Lantern Festival parade on Feb 19 in Qingdao's Laixi city. [Photo/dzwww.com]